Fs Laser Patterning of Amorphous AsS Thin Films.

This study investigates the morphological changes induced by femtosecond (fs) laser pulses in arsenic trisulfide (AsS) thin films and gold-arsenic trisulfide (Au\AsS) heterostructures, grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). By means of a direct laser writing experimental setup, the films were systematically irradiated at various laser power and irradiation times to observe their effects on surface modifications. AFM was employed for morphological and topological characterization.

New Chalcogenide Glass-Ceramics Based on Ge-Zn-Se for IR Applications.

The consumer market requests infrared (IR) optical components, made of relatively abundant and environmentally friendly materials, to be integrated or attached to smartphones. For this purpose, three new chalcogenides samples, namely GeZnSe (d_GZSe-1), GeZnSe (d_GZSe-2) and BaGeZnSeI (d_GZSe-3) were obtained by mechanical alloying and processed by spark plasma sintering into dense bulk disks. Obtaining a completely amorphous and homogeneous material proved to be difficult.

A Two-Step Magnetron Sputtering Approach for the Synthesis of CuZnSnS Films from CuSnS\ZnS Stacks.

CuZnSnS (CZTS) is regarded as one of the emerging materials for next-generation thin film solar cells. However, its synthesis is complex, and obtaining a single-phase CZTS thin film is difficult. This work reports the elaboration of CuZnSnS thin films by a sequential magnetron sputtering deposition of CuSnS (CTS) and ZnS as stacked films.

Micrometer Sized Hexagonal Chromium Selenide Flakes for Cryogenic Temperature Sensors.

Nanoscale thermometers with high sensitivity are needed in domains which study quantum and classical effects at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we present a micrometer sized and nanometer thick chromium selenide cryogenic temperature sensor capable of measuring a large domain of cryogenic temperatures down to tenths of K. Hexagonal Cr-Se flakes were obtained by a simple physical vapor transport method and investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements.

Synthesis and Characterization of CuZnSnS Thin Films Obtained by Combined Magnetron Sputtering and Pulsed Laser Deposition.

CuZnSnS (CZTS) is a complex quaternary material, and obtaining a single-phase CZTS with no secondary phases is known to be challenging and dependent on the production technique. This work involves the synthesis and characterization of CZTS absorber layers for solar cells. Thin films were deposited on Si and glass substrates by a combined magnetron sputtering (MS) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) hybrid system, followed by annealing without and with sulfur powder at 500 °C under argon (Ar) flow.

Influence of Deposition Method on the Structural and Optical Properties of GeSbTe.

Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST-225) is a chalcogenide material with applications in nonvolatile memories. However, chalcogenide material properties are dependent on the deposition technique. GST-225 thin films were prepared using three deposition methods: magnetron sputtering (MS), pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and a deposition technique that combines MS and PLD, namely MSPLD.

Secondary Crystalline Phases Influence on Optical Properties in Off-Stoichiometric CuS-ZnS-SnS Thin Films.

CuZnSnS (CZTS) is an economically and environmentally friendly alternative to other toxic and expensive materials used for photovoltaics, however, the variation in the composition during synthesis is often followed by the occurrence of the secondary binary and ternary crystalline phases. These phases produce changes in the optical absorption edge important in cell efficiency. We explore here the secondary phases that emerge in a combinatorial CuS-ZnS-SnS thin films library.